Happy Glenfarclas 105 Day!

Happy Glenfarclas 105 Day everyone!

Now, while this may not be the most well-known of whisky-related holidays – those honours go to World Whisky Day and International Whisk(e)y Day – the 105th day of the year (14 April) is an excellent excuse to grab a dram of Glenfarclas’s sherry monster.

When it comes to my formative whisky experiences, my first encounter with Glenfarclas 105 is leader of the pack – it is the first whisky that I remember. At the tender age of five years old (almost six – I have been told that I was very concerned with that fact at the time), I visited my first distillery: Glenfarclas. At the end of the tour, my dad tried the 105 and I eagerly asked what he was drinking. He handed me the glass and the intensity of the flavour and smell meant that I couldn’t get it closer than a few inches from my face, a youthful problem that I have thankfully since overcome.

GLENFARCLAS 105, 60% ABV

Nose: Sweet and spicy, with dark depths hiding behind. Layers of caramel and treacle toffee with a earthy notes, maraschino cherries, cinnamon, cloves and anise in between.

Palate: Intense, thick and mouth filling, with dark chocolate and the spice from the nose taking a back seat to sweet fruit – cherries, sultanas and raisins. Despite the huge sherry-cask influence, Glenfarclas’s characterful spirit pokes its head above the parapet, with cinnamon Danish pastries and baked apples developing in the glass.

Finish: Cinnamon-spiced dark chocolate leading to sweet sultanas and raisins.

Comment: A huge whisky, showing off Glenfarclas’s characteristic combination of hefty spirit and high-quality sherry casks. A bottle I always have in the cupboard.

To further celebrate 105 Day, we’re running a prize draw – buy a 70cl bottle of 105 before midnight on 16 May and we’ll put your name in a virtual hat to win a very special bottle of Glenfarclas 105 20 Year Old.

While Glenfarclas 105 20 Year Old is special in its own right – finding 20-year-old whisky that’s still 60% ABV is rare – the folks at Glenfarclas have upped the ante for this year’s 105 Day. They have commissioned a run of three crystal bottles, each engraved with the date of Glenfarclas Day 2016, and we are giving away two of them. You can find full details on the prize draw page.

If you were looking for an excuse to stock up with on Glenfarclas 105, now is the perfect time. You can grab a bottle from The Whisky Exchange website.

New and Limited Kilchoman

Kilchoman Loch Gorm Sherry Cask 2016

The Loch Gorm release from Kilchoman has become highly sought after with its combination of powerful rich flavours, spicy notes and peat smoke. Matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry casks, it is bottled at 46% volume. Official Tasting Notes:

Nose: Spicy and sweet with peat smoke and dark chocolate well integrated. Palate: Soft fruits, well rounded and full of character. Finish: Lingering, sweet and well balanced

£65 Click to buy

Malt of the Month!  Only £52.98

A special limited edition release from Lagavulin, bottled to celebrate the 200th Anniversary (1816 – 2016) of this much loved Islay distillery. Inspired by a visit in 1886 from Alfred Barnard, who described an 8 year old whisky he sampled at the distillery as being ‘Exceptionally Fine’.

£52.98

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival hits all the right notes with music event line up

Whisky isn’t the only iconic Scottish tradition that will be drawing people to Speyside over the next few weeks. In addition to drams galore, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival will be filled with the sound of music from April 28 to May 2 as visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy a whole host of one-of-a-kind musical events.

The jam-packed festival programme takes place over five days in various locations across the scenic Speyside region. People have the chance to ride the Whisky Line and find their dancing shoes to join a traditional Scottish ceilidh on a train, or find the perfect marriage of whisky and music with an event matching vintage whisky with vintage jazz.

Music features strongly on the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival programme, which has almost 500 different events to choose from across five fun-filled days. In addition to music there’s also whisky tastings, distillery tours, food events and comedy, ensuring there is something for everyone.

An impressive line-up of acts has been scheduled, and there’s certainly no shortage of home grown talent performing throughout the Festival. The Fochabers Fiddlers will be supporting singer Shona Brown at the Spirit of Speyside Sessions on Saturday, April 30 at Fleming Hall in Aberlour, while local act Footerin’ Aboot will be the ceilidh band playing on the Keith – Dufftown Railway Line on 29 and 30 April.

Accordionist Sandy Brechin, fiddler Charlie McKerron – member of world renowned Celtic band Capercaillie – and vocalist Brian Ó’hEadhra will be performing their own unique and entertaining musical compositions on April 28 at The Drouthy Cobbler in Elgin and on April 29 at The Fleming Hall.

Music will be on the menu all day at The Malt Barn at Glenlivet Distillery Open Day on April 30. Visitors will be able to catch performances from Glasgow-based Scottish folk band, Barluath – including lead vocalist and BBC Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2015 Finalist Ainsley Hamill,  Footerin’ Aboot, and The Bicycle Thieves, who perform covers from across the decades.

The Craigellachie Hotel will be holdings its own DogFest – an event named after its popular Copper Dog bar that includes 10 different bands and a hog roast. The line-up includes The Whisky River Boat Band, The Copper Dogs, Chris Grant and Sons O The Soil and takes place on both the Friday and Saturday of the Festival from 5pm until midnight.

In addition to these highlights, there are daily music performances taking place at a huge number of Festival venues.

Festival manager Pery Zakeri says the feedback after music events at the Festival are always extremely positive, resulting in high demand for tickets.

She adds, “Putting whisky and music events together is a natural pairing in which visitors always love to get involved. To have such a talented selection of Scottish musicians playing at the Festival shows that not only are we celebrating Scotland’s national drink, but we’re honouring Scotland’s customs and traditions as a whole.

“The wide range of performers taking part is very much in keeping with our Festival theme of providing something for everyone. You don’t even have to be a fan of traditional music, as the huge of variety of music genres available throughout the Festival are sure to satisfy even the most specialist of tastes.

“Whisky drinkers are all different, so it’s important to offer a varied selection of music events for people to enjoy whilst still retaining an element of Scottish culture.”

There are a number of events during the Festival which incorporate the best of Scottish music, food and whisky, giving a true reflection of the values and heritage that lies behind the beautiful region of Speyside.

Tickets for all events in the 2016 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival programme, including music, are available to buy now at http://www.spiritofspeyside.com/. The Festival is also active on social media – facebook.com/WhiskyFestival and @spirit_speyside on Twitter and on Instagram.

Captions

MBO – Accordionist Sandy Brechin, fiddler Charlie McKerron – member of world renowned Celtic band Capercaillie – and vocalist Brian Ó’hEadhra will be performing at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

APRIL AUCTION NOW LIVE

Place your bids! 

Whisky Hammer is delighted to announce the launch of its April auction which is now live with a selection of whiskies in over 200 Lots.

Browse the LIVE auction now at

www.whiskyhammer.co.uk

Highland Park 1999 – exclusive to The Whisky Exchange

Finding good whisky is difficult. I don’t mean on the shelves – despite loud online debates to the contrary, there has never been such a range of different, great-tasting drams available – but finding a cask of whisky that is not only really good but also for sale is really hard.

Fortunately, there are still independent bottlers out there who have contracts and relationships set up which let them get their hands on excellent spirit, and some of them will even let us have the occasional cask all to ourselves. Today’s guardian whisky angel is Gordon & MacPhail, owner of some of the finest casks of whisky in all of Scotland, and bottler of our latest Whisky Exchange exclusive release – a cask-strength Highland Park 1999, matured in a single first-fill bourbon barrel.

Orkney maybe rugged and far away, but it’s a very pretty place

Highland Park rarely bottles whisky that’s matured solely in bourbon casks, usually adding sherry-matured whisky to the mix to give the richer character that its whisky is known for. However, the spirit is worth examining in a more naked state, and while a first-fill ex-bourbon barrel still adds a lot of cask influence, it lets the distillery character shine though – soft fruit and a uniquely Orcadian smokiness.

When it comes to smoky whisky, Highland Park is not the first name that comes to mind. However, about a third of its malt is produced at the distillery’s own maltings and heavily peated to between 30 and 40ppm. Despite being at Ardbeg and Caol Ila levels of smokiness, it’s quite different, thanks to the use of heathery Orkney peat rather than Islay’s medicinal and iodine-laden fare. The peaty malt is then mixed with unpeated malt from the mainland, giving Highland Park’s spirit its characteristic gentle smokiness.

Highland Park 1999, 16 Years Old. Cask #4260

Nose: Honey, lemon and heather, with freshly scraped vanilla pods and tropical-fruit-flavoured chews. Soft floral notes build in the glass, with wax polish and a wisp of smoke.

Palate: Spicy and fruity, with balancing dryness and a tannic touch. Roasted banana and pineapple are joined by clove and freshly ground cinnamon, with apples, pears and black liquorice slowly developing. Behind it all is a pinch of ground charcoal and rich, savoury wood smoke.

Finish: Spicy, with mineral-heavy smoke and liquorice, that softens to creamy vanilla and clove.

Comment: Carefully balanced fruit, spice and smoke, showing the core of Highland Park’s character without a sherry overcoat.

The whisky is now available exclusively from The Whisky Exchange website and our London shop.

Benriach, Benromach & Bowmore.. which is your favourite?

You can find our full range on The Spirits Embassy: Single Malts Direct’s brand new website.

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This 10 year single malt old showcases a livelier side to the complex and rich flavours associated with Whiskies produced in the Speyside region. A recent addition to their Classic Speyside range, The BenRiach 10 Year Old is selected from ex-Sherry & Bourbon casks.bYou can expect a lot of zest and spiced fruits to come through in this one.

Benriach 10 Year Old || £31.00 incl. VAT

This whisky has been bottled without chillfiltering and as a result, a completely harmless sediment may form in the bottle. What’s more, when you add water the whisky may turn a little cloudy. It’s nothing to worry about at all. Slainte!

Benromach 10 Year Old 100 Proof || £47.00 incl. VAT

Cosseted away in the finest, hand-selected oak casks and allowed to mature at its own sedate pace. This is one of the most remarkable, perfectly balanced malts of its kind. One of the rarest most exceptional bottlings, the stocks of Bowmore 18 Years Old may be limited but there’s no end to its enjoyment.

Bowmore 18 Year Old || £69.00 incl. VAT

NEWSFLASH!!

Dear Society Members,

UK Single Cask Bottling – AVAILABLE NOW!

I can confirm that the UK exclusive single cask bottling has now been bottled and is available for purchase in our Campbeltown shop from this afternoon and other UK retail outlets (including our Edinburgh and London Cadenhead shops) from Wednesday 20th April.

This new bottling is a Springbank 16 year old Fresh Sherry. It has been bottled at a cask strength of 54.2% and is extremely limited with only 540 bottles available. The price for this bottling is £85.00 and unfortunately no Society discount will be available as it is so limited.

If you would like to order a bottle from the Campbeltown Cadenhead shop then can I ask you to please get in touch with the shop directly as I will not be taking orders for this – simply because I will not be able to keep track of how many bottles they have available. Each shop will only have a very small allocation and I imagine they will sell very quickly. You can contact our shop by calling +44 (0) 1586 55 1710 (option 1).

The tasting notes for this bottling are:

Nose – Dark fruits. Prunes, dates, roasted nuts, walnuts and raisins and dunnage warehouse.

Palate – Lot’s of sherry influence. Fairly nutty as the nose suggests. Barbecue smoke, Coastal/salty with traces of spent matches.

Finish – Dry with hints of cinnamon and very moreish!!!

Society Bottling – April release

The whisky has been chosen for the next Society release, details will be sent in the next newsletter after we’ve managed to find a slot for it in the bottling schedule!

Sláinte,

Julie

Julie Jordan

Conyact Julie to join the Springbank Society at society@springbankwhisky.com

Springbank Distillers Ltd, 9 Bolam Street, Campbeltown, Argyll, PA28 6HZ

Tel :   + 44(0) 1586 552009   Fax :  + 44(0) 1586 553232   website www.springbankwhisky.com/

Auction Ends Soon!

Just Whisky’s April auction will soon come to a close. With over 1000 lots and not a lot of time left, now is a great time to place your final bids. Biddings ends from 8PM UK time.

Any bid placed in the last 5 minutes of a lot ending will extend the time remaining on that lot by 15 minutes.

Pages do not automatically refresh. Please refresh your page for the current price.

Bidding Ends Sunday 17^th from 8PM (UK Time)
www.just-whisky.co.uk

Benromach Imperial Proof wins top award in the USA 

A Benromach single malt whisky has scooped a top award at a prestigious international spirits competition in San Francisco.

Benromach Imperial Proof, launched last year in the USA, was named Best Distillers’ Single Malt Scotch in the category for Scotch whisky up to 12 Years Old. It is sold as Benromach 100° Proof in the UK and other markets.

More than 1,850 entries from around the world were judged by a panel of 39 industry experts including journalists, bartenders, hoteliers and drinks retailers.

And as Distillery Manager Keith Cruickshank explained: “Recognition for our classic pre-1960s style Speyside single malt is always welcome and this is a particularly highly regarded competition worldwide. We only recently launched the Imperial Proof in the US market so we’re pleased it has won this accolade.”

Benromach 10 Years Old also collected a Double Gold Medal which is awarded to spirits which are deemed to be outstanding and earned top marks from all the judges on the panel.

Regarded as one of the most respected and influential spirits competitions in the world, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition brings together a panel of carefully selected experts. With an emphasis on integrity and impartiality, all the judging is carried out using blind tastings.

Benromach Imperial Proof is bottled at 57% alc/vol and has the same classic Benromach style that draws its influence from Speyside whiskies of the pre-1960s. It is sold in the UK and other markets as Benromach 100° Proof. But as “proof” is interpreted differently in the USA from the UK, a change of name was needed when it was launched for the US market.

Benromach 10 Years Old is a classic Speyside single malt handcrafted by just three distillers. It is the flagship single malt in a range which includes Benromach 15 Years Old, Benromach Peat Smoke and Benromach Organic.

Originally built in 1898, Benromach Distillery was revived when leading whisky specialists Gordon & MacPhail purchased it in 1993. The distillery was extensively re-equipped over a five-year period to create a Speyside single malt whisky in a classic pre-1960s style.

For further information on Benromach please visit www.benromach.com.        

Notes 

Originally built in 1898, Benromach Distillery was brought back to life when leading whisky specialists Gordon & MacPhail purchased it in 1993. The distillery was extensively re-equipped over a five-year period before it was officially opened by HRH Prince Charles in 1998.

In reopening Benromach Distillery, Gordon & MacPhail decided to create a classic Speyside single malt – a style that draws its influence from Speyside whiskies pre-1960s.

Benromach Distillery is located on the outskirts of the ancient market town of Forres. A four-star visitor centre is open to the public throughout the year for tours and tastings. Benromach Distillery is a member of the world famous malt whisky trail.

Benromach Imperial Proof 

Benromach Imperial Proof is a 10 Years Old single malt whisky with a distinctive golden amber colour. Sherry aromas lead, followed by stewed apple, pear and vanilla, with toasted malt aromas complementing an underlying menthol edge. Notes of cracked black pepper with juicy fresh strawberry and raspberry lead on the tongue, with hints of orange peel and milk chocolate, combined with a delicate smoky finish.

In the USA the term “proof” is defined by alcohol content so a spirit with 50% alcohol is described as 100° proof. In the UK, a product described as 100° Proof is 57% alc/vol – higher than the 50% alc/vol the term would indicate in the USA.

Benromach 10 Years Old 

Benromach 10 Years Old is created from the finest Scottish barley and pure spring water from the nearby Romach hills. After being matured for at least 10 years, it emerges golden in colour and displays rich fruit, sweet chocolate and delicate spicy aromas. With a rich sherry influence, the mouth-watering palate coats the senses with exotic fruit flavours, toasted malt and a delicate hint of smoke.